A battery cell has been proposed as a clean, efficient and environmentally responsible power source for electric vehicles and various other applications. One type of battery cell is known as the lithium-ion battery. The lithium-ion battery is rechargeable and can be formed into a wide variety of shapes and sizes so as to efficiently fill available space in electric vehicles. For example, the battery cell may be in the form of a prismatic pouch.
A plurality of the battery cells can be provided in a battery pack to provide an amount of power sufficient to operate electric vehicles. Typically, the battery cells are selectively interconnected in series or parallel through use of an interconnect board. The interconnect board is oftentimes is integrated into an enclosure of the battery pack, resulting in exposure to environmental conditions. In addition, because the interconnect board is configured to be integrated into the enclosure of the battery pack, a different bus is required for each battery pack design. Fuses and various electrical and electromechanical devices such as bypass, equalization, and communication devices, for example, may also be mounted to the interconnect board. The many different electrical interfaces along the bus can result in power losses due to electrical resistance at the individual connections. The large number of electrical interfaces along the bus also increases a likelihood of undesirable battery pack performance, and contributes to a manufacturing complexity of the known battery pack.
There is a continuing need for a battery module with a flexible bus that permits an electrical connection of battery cells with a minimal number of components, minimizes mass, and which minimizes manufacturing complexity by using a single bus for multiple battery pack designs.